The Perfect and the Prisoner
by Tundra Heartstrings
Summary: Wanda and Ian's daughter and Jared and Mel's son. What happens when he goes on a raid and comes back a traitor and prisoner? How will she react? Will she ever love him? Will he ever be free again? Unlike me the author, you have to read to find out. Hah!
1. Chapter 1: Game in the Clearing

Hey guys! I would really appreciate it if you would review because that way I can improve my writing and my story even more! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Host... I would just like to marry Jamie Stryder.

I raced down the south cave towards the clearing. I was so going to win against Kendall this time. Not only because I had been practicing but because I had Freedom on my team today.

Oh, Freedom. He had the most beautiful brown hair that even when it had cave dust on it, it seemed to shine. His eyes held me in captivity. And I liked it.

Kendall was talking to Freedom and his back was to me. Freedom noticed me coming in. Since I had my mother's petite body, my footfalls could not be heard. I signaled to Freedom to not give me away, and he gave what I hoped was an imperceptible nod. I came up behind Kendall and jumped on his back. I smiled and yelled, "Surprise!" in his ear.

I thought Kendall would take it as a joke. Turns out I was wrong. He practically wrung me to the floor like I was a pillow. I hit the ground with a thud, hitting my butt in the process. When I looked up, Kendall's face was a grimace.

"Ow! What'd'ya do that for? I was just kidding." I explained.

Kendall's grimace disappeared and turned into an apologetic frown. "I-I'm sorry. I gotta go... now." He started walking away.

"Wait, aren't we going to play?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. Right." He stopped, said this, and turned around. Sometimes I'm curious as to what is going on in that head of his. I can never predict what he is thinking or what emotion he is feeling.

Freedom got the ball and gave it to me. At that moment... our hands touched. I felt a spark of electricity zing from my fingers to my heart. I looked up at his face, and he smiled at me. It was so beautiful. I had to smile back. He released the ball and stepped back, breaking our (or at least my) trance. Kendall cleared his throat. I turned to him and smirked.

"You are so going down. I don't care who your parents are; I will beat you." Kendall smirked unconvinced by my rant.

Freedom came up behind me and put his arm around my shoulders. "I can argue with that statement." Kendall's smirk faded quickly and it was as if it never existed.

I took the ball and kicked it across the clearing starting the game. Kendall was always looking for a fight. Sometimes he reminded me more of Uncle Kyle than of Uncle Jared. I had to admit Kendall put up a good challenge. But, going against two skilled people, he was not able to win. By the end, we were all panting and our hands rested on our knees as they were bent halfway.

Freedom said, "Well, that was a good game." He extended his hand toward Kendall looking for a high five. Kendall ignored it and started walking out of the cave at a brisk pace.

"What got up his ass?" Freedom asked me only half joking. I shrugged not really sure what to make of it. I grabbed the ball and supported it under my left arm and started walking onto the main cave with Freedom.

"Amy! Amy!" I heard a call from somewhere to my left. I recognized the sweet, high pitched voice immediately. It greeted me with great joy and cheer every morning, afternoon, and night. Before I could even turn to greet it back, I felt two small arms envelope my leg and stick to it like a leech. I looked down to see two big brown eyes hidden under a mass of curly orange hue and a big smile with a gap were the two front teeth were supposed to be.

"Hey sweety, you lost another tooth? Wow you're turning into a big boy faster than I thought." I smiled down at the little creature.

"Uh-huh. Daddy cleaned the blood up and told me to hide it under my pillow for the Tooth Fairy tonight. I hope I get another piece of chocolate under it. That's the best!" the little boy, Tommy, said at a really fast excited pace.

"Tell Doc-Uh- I mean Daddy that I will put in a good word to the Tooth Fairy to give you a really good piece of chocolate, maybe even with nuts." Freedom went along with the boy's excitement. We were old enough to realize that all those dream-filled characters associated with holidays were all a bunch of plasma space used to bring hope to young minds. Although, as Kendall once pointed out, "If there are aliens how can there not be a Santa Claus".

"All right." He exclaimed while skipping away to fulfill his assignment for the day. We waved and smiled as he turned into the cave that led to the hospital wing, where his father would be. We kept on walking towards the cafeteria.

"I can still remember when I was a little boy how much Sharon hated me," Freedom talked aloud more to himself than to me, but he said it affectionately with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. I chuckled, "Oh come on. I doubt she hated you as much as she hated Uncle Jamie. He told me a few stories about his childhood. Now that was hatred."

His smile got the best of him. I always did anything to get even just a glimpse of that smile. It filled me up faster and longer than did any meal we ate. Even if it was my favorite, what my dad called a 'hot dog' and mom called a 'wiener with bread'. They always argued about it. Dad said that it was called a hot dog when the two ingredients were put together while Mom said that it was a wiener with bread because thats what each ingredient said on the label. It was always amusing.

We entered the cafeteria and while I got a seat, he got us each a tray. I hadn't even realized how famished I was until the food was wafting into my nose making my stomach growl. I took a seat near Jamie who was just finishing his up and was also talking to Candy. That woman was always gossiping. I overheard the conversation, and they welcomed me into it with ease.

"All I'm saying is that a boy that young should not be going on raids; no matter how much safer they have gotten over the years with Wanda's help." Candy sounded outraged.

I interrupted with food in my mouth. "Who's going on a raid that is so young?"

Jamie answered for Candy, not wanting her to start another rant. "Kendall." My eyebrows raised in surprise. It would be his first one.

Jamie turned back to Candy. "You know Candy I was actually younger than him when I went on my first. Look how well I turned out!" Candy looked at him skeptically.

"Mhm... Sure you did." Jamie sighed. Freedom sat down next to me.

"Are you going on the raid, Freedom?" I asked him. He nodded his head while stuffing his face.


	2. Chapter 2: Raid

We all gathered around the main cave to say goodbye tho those going on the raid. I stood on my tiptoes looking around the crowd for Freedom. Once I found him near the front with the rest of those going on the raid, I went up to him. I looked around the others preparing to go. I saw Kendall, Uncle Jared (of course he was going to go if his son was), Uncle Kyle, Jamie, and always together, of course, Mom and Dad. Sunny was hugging Kyle with a sad face, still not used to him leaving her for long periods of time. Mom, Dad, Uncle Jared and Aunt Melanie were conversing with each other, used to all the fuss a raid implied. Jamie was encouraging Kendall and talking amiably with him. He still looked a little nervous. My heart reached out to him.

Ever since I can remember, I have always thought of Kendall as my older brother. I looked up to him like no one else, except maybe Aunt Melanie. She always seemed like such a badass. Whenever I got hurt or didn't feel well, he was always there for me, protecting me. I bet that if there was a large selection of students in the caves that he would have growled at any boy who tried to flirt with me... kinda like he does with Freedom. He is sometimes even worse than my Dad.

I left Freedom behind where he was and said goodbye to my parents and Aunt Melanie and Uncle Jared. Next, I moved on to Uncle Kyle and told him my farewell, while at the same time assuring Sunny that he knew how to handle himself and that she shouldn't worry. Finally, I approached Uncle Jamie and Kendall. I made Jamie promise to me that he would keep Kendall safe, only half joking. Kendall started to protest saying he wasn't stupid.

I removed a stray piece of hair blocking his eyes. He was much taller than me. I said, in all seriousness, "I know that. I just don't know what I'd do without you. Besides, what would Aunt Melanie do to Uncle Jared if you didn't come back alright?" Before he could respond, I embraced him tightly which took him by surprise. Nonetheless, he quickly responded back with a hug. I pulled back and smiled at him before going back to Freedom.

"I hope you get back safely. Life's gonna be really boring without you, Freedom." I flirted.

He smiled and replied with, "Likewise, about the boring part I mean".

"I have something for you. To think of me while you're away." I pulled out a thin, hard-cover book. The cover itself was ripped and dusty. The binding was old and barely worked its purpose anymore. "Do you remember what it is?" I took it from me, passing his hand on top of the front of it.

He smiled and took it form me. "Yeah, I gave it to you for your... tenth birthday I think it was. The Lorax! But, I can't keep it. I gave it to you because it was one of my favorite books as a child". He extended it back towards me. I shook my head.

" I knew you would say that. I don't want you to keep it. I want you to take care of it for me until your return." I pushed it back toward his torso. He smiled my favorite smile and said, "All right". Uncle Jared called out to the raiders to huddle up as they were going to start moving out to where the Jeep was hiding. Freedom took his bag and slung it over his muscle-defined shoulder.

"Bye, Amy" he called out while starting to turn around.

'Wait!" I exclaimed, stopping him. He stayed still but didn't turn around completely. I ran up to him, stood on my tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek. It was more than what I expected. His cheek was soft because of his skin. No longer rough because we were able to replace the stingy soap with the normal kind. But, it yet contained the slight prickle of a man who hasn't shaved in several hours. It was a touch I hope to remember and come back to at later times in my life. Once done with my mission to show him my affection, I ran back to the throng of people waving to the raiders. I hid behind Jeb who was at the front because this was "his house". I gave a final look around the group of people exiting. Kendall was the only one who looked out of place, not because he was young. He was looking down at his feet with a scowl marking his face as if it were to stay there permanently for the rest of his life. When he did look up, my eyes widened. His eyes showed malice, evil. The kind that I only imagined from the books I read that Mom brought me from the outside that she could find hidden in houses since most of the ones with evil were exterminated. The rest of his face besides his eyes were pale, dead looking. Somehow, my worry for him increased ten-fold.

After they left, I seemed to be the only one who noticed the change in him. I let the feeling go, thinking it must have only been my imagination.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original characters of The Host. They are part of Stephenie Meyer's imagination. I do own Kendall, Amy, and Tommy.

Bob (the very feminine voice inside my head)- I LOVE TOMMY!

Me: Don't we all? Enjoy and review guys!


	3. Chapter 3: Much Worse

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own any of the original characters of The Host. I only own Amy, Kendall, and Tommy.

Bob: I LOVE TOMMY!

Me: So do I Bob... so do I. Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy and review please!

It had been two weeks since many members of my family had left on the raid. Why is it that everyone who is related to me by blood or practically blood is out on a raid except for me? The caves around me feel so lonely without anyone my family went on raids, I liked to hang around with Doc in the hospital wing. He was training me to be the next medical expert in the caves for when he wanted to retire. I didn't particularly like the part about taking souls out of the bodies. It makes me think about how this soul could have a human child at home and how they will never get a chance to see them again. It made me think, "This could have been my mom or Sunny". I did, however, like helping those in the caves who got injured either by accident while working or coming back from the outside.

A lot of the time, when I was in the hospital wing, Tommy would come visit his dad and me. Honestly, he was the only one who was able to bring a smile to my face as easily as Freedom did. Except, Freedom is hot and Tommy is more... young. His sparky attitude helped me forget that my family was out there risking themselves day and night for the well-being of everyone else in the caves. I didn't know wether to be proud of it or mad about it. At the times when I started to get pissed at everyone else in the caves, my rancor quickly dissipated. I knew that the reason my family was the top choice was because no one else was as skilled or concentrated as they were. If we didn't live in the world we did, I was sure that my parents would be some kind of super spy like the kind I read in books.

One time, Tommy came over and said, "Daddy, I want another tooth to fall out". Doc and I looked at him peculiarly.

"Why would you want that, son?"

"Because I want another piece of candy, but this time I want Laffy Taffy." This made me laugh and say, "But Tommy, Laffy Taffy is hard to chew if you don't have any teeth to chew it with. Why would you want to do that?"

He stuck out his lower lip in a pout and simply replied, "Cause I can". This made my day.

Around the third week after the raiders left, Sunny came into the hospital wing panting.

"You have to come quick, Amy." she tried to get out in between breaths.

"Sunny sit down. Take a break, enough to bring back your normal breathing pattern. Eh, sorry. Whenever I hang around here I end up talking all science-y". She had started shaking her head before I had even finished talking.

"No, I can't. No time. The raiders are back."

This seemed unusual to me. The raids usually lasted months at a time because they couldn't do it close to home for precautions sake.

"Did something happen? Is anyone injured?" I asked hurriedly putting all of Doc's utensils into their rightful place before I sprinted towards the maincave.

Sunny shook her head and looked like she was about to puke. The only thing that came out of her mouth was, 'Worse, much worse". What could possibly be worse than that? My mind started answering that question on its own. Many things could have. I saw my mother and father captured by a Seeker. I saw a picture of Kendall dead, then quickly dismissed it. Finally, I saw Freedom, but it wasn't really him. This Freedom had eyes covered in silver which eliminated the depth that this brown eyes originally had. His smile, no, my smile, was replaced by an ugly scowl that traveled its negativity all across his face. This Freedom didn't have my Freedom's casual stance. Two arms hanging freely on either side of his torso and his legs spread apart slightly; two arms crossed across his upper torso with his feet squished together in a military like manner. I couldn't take it any longer. I left Sunny panting behind; I ran as if my life depended on it which it very well might.


	4. Chapter 4: Why?

Disclaimer: I do not own the Host blah blah blah

Me: I know you guys are anxious so I won't distract you much. However, I do want to warn you that after chapter 4 I might not be able to post chapter 5 until either Monday or Tuesday depending on how inspired I am. I am going to visit my favorite uncle and am staying with him until Monday. So cross your fingers that I can write one more chapter after this one. ENJOY!

I entered the main cave to see an uproarious crowd of angry and hurt faces all shouting above the other trying to be heard. My ears popped when I heard a gun shot. Everyone quieted down immediately.

"Now, now, everyone. I think we all know what happened here today was no misunderstanding. I'm sorry Melanie but I can't go against my own rules here. He needs to be put somewhere where he can't get out. And, we need guards too," Jeb said in a too-calm voice. The one he used when he wanted people to respect his authority... or else. Now I really needed to know what had happened.

I pushed myself to where the raiders where back and almost couldn't believe my eyes. Kendall was being restrained by Uncle Kyle and Uncle Jamie, although he didn't seem to look like he wanted to escape any time soon. His head was down and his mass of dark hair hid his face, so I couldn't see the expression it held. As they started to take him toward the supply cave, I went up to my parents. Mom was holding onto my dad almost sucking the life out of him. Her face was plastered into his chest. I would have thought she was sobbing but no sound was coming out of her and her shoulders weren't shaking. He held her with a somber expression, protective as ever.

"What is this? What happened? Someone _please _tell me what's going on!" I asked desperately.

My mom extended her hand toward my head as if to stroke it but held back. "Oh, honey..." That's her response? I need something more than a sorrowful 3 syllable answer. I looked to my dad for a better explanation.

"While we were out in the second city, Kendall tried to turn himself in to the Seekers. Freedom had followed him and was able to... to stop him in time." Dad chocked out. I wasn't sure wether he was spitting it out as venom or if he was too disappointed in Kendall. My dad always liked Kendall, said he was "a straight up young man who knew what he wanted from life" and that he "was a true born leader". I always thought my dad loved him as his own son since he didn't exactly get one and I wasn't a tomboy either.

However, I didn't believe Kendall would do such a thing. He would never rat us out to the souls. He loved this place and its people too much to do that. Only if something truly horrible happened to him would he do that. Then I remembered his face as the raiders were leaving the caves. The face that caused the worry and tension in my stomach for the past three weeks. I finally realized that the face I saw wasn't a figment of my imagination and that I was the only person to notice his emotions while no one else could. Wow. This was the first time I was able to figure him out, but I didn't want it to be like that. Even if his face was filled with sinister undulations outlining it, I knew what was inside his heart. He would never.

I shook my head at my parents while taking steps away from them. "No, no, no. He wouldn't". My mom had a look of pity in her eyes. Pity for _me_. "I don't believe you." I ran away from them towards the supply cave.

While passing near people, I heard part of many conversations. Enough to piece a couple of thing together. The others didn't know where to put him in guard. Some had thought the clearing but thought it too risky to be near water. Others thought in his own room, but they realized this would make him too comfortable. Finally, they stuffed him into the supply cave with all the stuff they were able to get within such short notice. Nothing too perishable was there because they never expected this turn of events.

When I got to the end of the cave, Aaron was guarding Kendall. He saw me and his back straightened, alert.

"What are you doing here?" As if it wasn't obvious. _Oh, I just came to grab some cheetos; don't mind me_, I thought.

"I've come to speak with Kendall." At the sound of my voice, the man in question looked up. I couldn't look at him just yet. If I were to see his face my bravado might crumble faster than a rocket blasting to the moon. Aaron looked unsure of leaving me alone with him. Probably uncertain that I might let him get away.

"I won't let him escape, and I can defend myself if he tries anything. I just want to talk to him alone." I assured myself more than him. He stood there without saying anything then nodded and walked away. I waited until I could no longer see his shadow to approach Kendall. His face was once again down. I stopped in front of him and knelt down. I could no longer contain myself. My eyes leaked water it hadn't been able to release in a long time. However, no words came out of my mouth. Now that I was there... What was I going to say? That I didn't believe he would do that? That I wanted him to tell me his side of the story? I didn't know. Instead, I crashed my arms onto his warm torso and cried unto his shirt. He didn't hug back; he didn't push me away either. Once, I had let most of the tears flow. I sniffled and detached myself from him. I sat down in front of him. "Did you really?" I asked insecure of myself. He didn't answer right away. He stayed quiet for so long I thought he just wasn't going to answer. He then raised his head to show me his face. That was all the confirmation I needed. His face was no longer that of a man, but of a very tired, very lonely beast. His eyes were deep set into his sockets and looked lifeless. His skin was pale and sweat matted his forehead. His lips a ghastly blue-black color that was not from the cold, so someone must have punched it. And, his face showed all the emotion he tried to block inside but was unsuccessful doing so. He looked malevolent yet regretful, sad yet stony, and above all carefree yet cold. My eyes began to water again but I blinked the thought away.

"Why?" was all I said. He didn't answer, and this time I knew he wouldn't. Immediately after I asked him to tell me, his face lips became a thin line. His eyes hardened; his face became a wooden mask. Expressionless. My face softened, uncorrupted by my disappointment and confusion. I pulled his hair back from his face and placed my hand on his cheek. I left it there for a couple of minutes hoping he would answer me to no avail. I sighed and stood up because I heard Aaron's footsteps coming back toward the cave.

"I'll come back tomorrow," I whispered to him. I didn't know if he heard me because I said it so softly. I stepped back toward the entrance of the cave and thanked Aaron for letting me talk to him. He smiled sadly and nodded, going back to his original position.

That's when I realized. With all this commotion, I wasn't able to greet Freedom. My excitement at seeing his face and not one of a soul inside his body got the best of me. I was able to forget my pain at Kendall's betrayal for a while as I asked around for Freedom. I couldn't wait to see his face.


	5. Chapter 5: Tommy

I had promised him I'd be back the next day. But I didn't. It wasn't that I didn't want to. I craved to see him. However, I didn't want to see him in the conditions he was in. He had always been skinny, and I'm sure Jeb wouldn't let the man who was like his grandson starve. Then again, I wouldn't have put it past Kendall to refuse eating. Stubborn ass. The day after they returned with the few supplies they were able to get, Jeb made everyone work. He said he wanted us to "think about the situation instead of flapping yer jaws." His words not mine. I had ceiling cleaning duty that day. Freedom was beside me cleaning windows.

When I saw him yesterday, he was just as dirty as the rest. His face looked calm and stoic at the same time. Unlike uncle Jared whose face crumpled with pain just as his body crumpled into aunt Melanie's bosom. Aunt Melanie's face looked far away as if she was remembering something from a past life. My mother, after the shock of the situation had run off, was trying to convince Jeb that it was all a misunderstanding. It wasn't working. The underlying falsehood in her words rang in my ears and felt like a stabbing puncture into my heart every time she uttered a word. I stopped in front of Freedom but didn't say anything. He saw my feet and looked up at my face.

Up until that moment, I hadn't paid attention to what my visage might express. Apparently, I must have looked just as bad as uncle Jared because Freedom's eyes gave me a compassionate look and he pulled me in for a hug. I immediately hugged him back and let the flow of tears I didn't know I still had fall unto the ground beneath us.

It wasn't that I couldn't escape chore duties. Kendall and I had done it many times in the past. It was more that I didn't want to. I had so many good memories of Kendall that I didn't want to ruin them by burning the image of him in the stock cave in my brain. Once we were able to take a break from cleaning windows I went to the kitchen. Freedom had told me he had to stay behind to talk to Jeb about something or other. At that point I was so hungry I didn't pay attention. I saw Tommy waving to me from the kitchen with flour all over his hair and face. He was making bread.

He rushed out from behind the kitchen and brought me my food all excited. Leave it to him to be in a happy mood at a time like this. He sat down next to me; the smile never leaving his face.

"Amy! You smell funky. Do you have window duty today?" He asked while scrunching his nose.

I let out a small smile. "Yeah, Tommy. The funky smell is vinegar." There were a couple of minutes of silent chewing before Tommy spoke again.

"Have you talked to Kendall?" he asked. I looked up shocked that he was so direct and sounded so serious. When I looked into his eyes, he didn't look like the little carefree boy I know and love. His eyes shone like an old soul were inhabiting in it. Not a soul as in the aliens my mother came with but like a legitimate old soul. One that had lived many horrible lives and remembered them all. I took my time finishing to chew the bite I had in my mouth.

"I-I saw him yesterday, yeah." I managed to get out.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Not today?"

"N-no."

"Why?" he asked in all seriousness. "Because Tommy," I sighed. How was I going to explain something this complicated to a five year old? "I have a lot of happy memories with Kendall. I don't want that to be ruined by something as unhappy as seeing him in that dark cave." I put it in the simplest way. Tommy's face went expressionless.

"If you ask me it sounds like you are scared. Being scared shouldn't stop you from seeing your best friend. Otherwise, why would we have best friends?" His normal, little boy voice came back near the end, "I would go. If I were you, I would go." He nodded his head continuously to prove his point. I slanted my head sideways not sure of his argument, no matter how cute it was. I took another bite of my food. Tommy looked at me expectantly.

"Wha-?" I asked with food in my mouth. My mother would disapprove.

""Well, aren't you going to see him?" He was persistent.

"I'm eating." I excused myself half-heartedly.

He shook his head. "That's no excuse, Amy. Santa Claus is going to be very disappointed in you this year." He stood up and put his tray in front of Trudy who was in the kitchen. She smiled at him. He came back toward me and took my hand. The one that wasn't holding a fork. He pulled me toward the entrance/exit of the cafeteria.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm taking you to him. Now." Before I could protest, he pulled me further away from my food. I took the biggest bite I could fit in my mouth and followed after him reluctantly. He seemed to be in a hurry, however, because he started to walk at a brisk pace. He was so small his pudgy legs could not yet run at full speed. As we were entering the main cave, Freedom saw us.

"What's going on?" he asked slightly amused at my alarmed face and Tommy's determined one.

"I-" was cut off.

"I'm taking Amy to see Kendall. She didn't want to, but I'm taking her anyway."

I watched Freedom's face looking for any sign of jealousy or concern for my safety. His face was unreadable, at least to me it was. We turned the corner and I saw Freedom no more.

We got to the stock cave and Tommy stayed put. He urged me forward with his hands. I stayed where I was still not sure I was supposed to be here. Still not sure I wanted to be here. "Go on." he encouraged. I took a deep breath and took my first step forward. From there, it was a mechanical reaction. I left Tommy behind me. Halfway to the end of the cave, I saw Uncle Kyle with the gun. He put a warrior stance on until he realized it was me. Then his face broke into a smile. He put the gun down where his original position was and then came walking toward me extending his arms little by little as he approached me. I continued my normal pace.

"Amy, Amy, Amy." He said while he hugged me and twirled me around. Uncle Kyle never had any kids yet. I don't think he ever will without Jodi. I was always like the daughter he never had. I had no problem with that. He wasn't as protective as my father and would let me break the rules now and again. I hugged him back without hesitation but kept my face expressionless. Once he set me down he asked if I wanted to see Kendall. I nodded my head still not sure I could speak properly. He hesitated though not as much as Aaron had before. He went back for the gun and signaled with it to go further into the cave.

"All right then. But, don't blame me if you don't like what you see." With those words barely registering in my brain, I stepped further into the darkness.

I'm not putting up any more disclaimers. I also find them annoying. Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write! I feel like such a total douche master for making you wait more than the promised time. I felt this chapter needed to be good (It's not my best but it will do). Who thought Tommy was THE MAN for stepping up like that? Well, I did. I love Tommy. (Yeah, everyone knows that.)

**On a side note: I posted a poll on my profile to see who do you like better. Freedom or Kendall? This in no way affects who Amy ends up with if anyone at all. It's just author curiosity on reader's interpretation of the characters. So, if you guys could please vote it would make my day and maybe even inspire me to write more quicker. I feel that the next chapter will be up if not by tonight then later this week. For sure, it will come before Friday. It is already in progress. However, I love cliff hangers so you'll have to bear.**

**Love,**

**Tundra**


	6. Chapter 6: Jeb

**OMG guys I am sooooooooo sorry! I honestly thought I was going to finish it that friday. Unfortunately, a family friend is staying over with us until next week and then after that school starts back up again. From now on, I will not make empty promises. I will honestly tell you that it will take some time to post the following chapters. However, I ask that you don't give up on me because the ending is great and the plot thickens to the viscosity of blood. Anyway, here is the next installment of my pride and joy.**

I wracked my brain to find a good reason to keep going. My palms were sweaty and I thought I might forget how to speak. When I finally saw Kendall's outline, all my fears went out the window. I don't matter. This isn't about me. It's about him; he is what matters right now. My selfishness is no more. I rushed toward him yet restrained myself from throwing myself unto him. He had yet to look up at me. I'm not sure if he knew it was me or not. I did notice that in front of him was a tray full of food. Granted, it wasn't as good as the food I was offered, but food nonetheless. My hand hovered over the tray; no warmth emanated from it. "_I knew it,"_ I thought, _"he isn't eating"_. I sighed.

His head shot up. "What are you doing here?" he spat at me.

I was shocked. "What do you mean? I told you I'd come back." I tried to explain myself, but before I was done he was already shaking his head.

"You and I both know you weren't gonna come today."

"Wha-"

"Your boyfriend Freedom came earlier today. He told me you came to him and cried your eyes out. He told me you then said you were appalled at the conditions I was in and that I should never talk to you again.I don't _want _your fucking pity Amy. Go away."

I felt like I had been slapped in the face. Twice. Once from Freedom's betrayal; he knew it wasn't pity. Once from Kendall's stinging words. I couldn't speak; I couldn't move. All I could do was blink and breathe. My breathing was the only security I had now. Each intake signaled that I wasn't dreaming. That this was real. It was a condolence yet a burden to hear the air running in and out. He glared at me once more before looking back down. Obviously, he was done with me. My body finally started to react. My hands were shaking; my eyes were watering, and my feet were running away. Away from the cavern. Away from my best friend and brother who doesn't want me anymore.

I didn't run into Freedom on the way to my room. I didn't run into anyone else that might care that my face probably looked like a sourpuss. That's what it looked like when I was trying not to cry. The only person who saw me was Uncle Kyle and he could not come after or alert anyone because he could not leave his post.

I stayed in my room for ages. I thought about what Kendall said and what Kendall said Freedom had said. What each of them said didn't match up with their personalities. It just didn't make sense. But, somehow I knew that what they said was the truth. My cloud of deranged thoughts was interrupted by a clatter of people trying to speak over each other. At first, it was a low rumble. Then it kept getting louder and louder until finally it didn't sound like I could ignore it. I went out of my cave room and followed the noise. The noise itself was also shifting so I accelerated my pace. I matched my breathing to that of my feet. Left stomp. Right stomp. Breathe in. Left stomp. Right stomp. Breathe out.

I made it to the main cave and no one was there. It was as if alien invaders (not our aliens but the ones from the movies and stuff) brought out the space ship and sucked everyone up leaving everything intact. The ladders were still in place and the buckets of water and wipers were on the second to last stool from the bottom up. Some streaks of dried dirty water reflected themselves on the windows as the sun shone upon them. The ruckus seemed to increase in volume. It seemed different from the one from yesterday. It didn't seen mad or outraged. It was definitely not a happy exhilarated crowd either. I couldn't quite place what the emotion was coursing through the wild, noisy crowd. I took just a minute to take in the scene before me in the main cave. Then, I continued on toward the mob.

It appeared to lead me toward the hospital wing. Suddenly, my pace and breath quickened before my mind was even able to react to what I saw far ahead of me. It appeared everyone in the caves (besides Kendall and Brandt who had relieved Uncle Kyle of his post) was trying to squeeze into the not too small yet not big enough hospital wing. When I finally caught up to the back end of the group of people, I found Sunny. I caught my breath enough to talk and asked, "What... Happened? Who... Is hurt?".

She looked at me with her sad deer eyes that never seem to leave her face. This expression didn't actually worry me; it was kinda permanent on her. "Jeb was cleaning the windows when suddenly he fell backwards," Sunny stuttered, "Your dad caught him b-but it turns out his whole ankle popped out of place. Doc is trying to fix it except with this whole crowd it's kinda hard for him to concentrate." I tried to push myself to the front of the ruckus to no avail. Everyone was too rowdy-ed up and just pushed me backwards. I gave up after my breath hitched close to asthma levels. Even though I didn't have asthma, I wasn't going to risk it. I left the crowd of people and sat down on the ground a couple of feet away from them. I tried to calm my breathing; I tried not to think of what might happen to Jeb. He isn't as young as he used to be. Mom always told me about how he loved going on raids and stuff. Now, he can't do that because his reaction time is slow and more reasons that don't exactly make sense to me. He isn't the man he used to be physically, but he sure has the mental guts to pull through.


End file.
